Aakhir Tak – In Shorts:
Two individuals have been arrested in Chennai for issuing fake certificates to US visa aspirants. The accused obtained these documents from a Hyderabad-based company. Police also seized 90 fake certificates and seals.
Aakhir Tak – In Depth:
Chennai Police arrested two individuals for their involvement in a forgery racket. These suspects were creating fake educational documents and job experience certificates to facilitate US visa applications.
The police action followed a complaint from an Overseas Criminal Investigator on behalf of the US consulate on October 22. According to the complaint, one of the accused, Ajay Bhandaria, applied for a work visa using a diploma certificate in hotel management from the Gandhi Institute of Technical and Management and a job experience certificate from the Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre, both of which were found to be fake.
During the interview with US consulate officials, Bhandaria confessed to obtaining fake documents and job experience. He further disclosed that he had paid Rs five lakh to a company named Dream for Overseas Private Limited, located in Hyderabad, to procure these documents.
Following the complaint from the US consulate, a Chennai Police team filed a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. The head of Dream for Overseas Consultancy, Balanandeswara Rao, and another individual, Kopse Mahesh, were arrested from Hyderabad.
The investigation revealed that Rs five lakh was charged for providing fake experience and educational certificates. Mahesh had also allegedly issued fake course completion certificates from Sybil Technologies, a skill development institution run by him. Police seized 90 fake certificates and seals from Mahesh’s possession.
